All articles tagged with #editorial independence
Bezos’ ownership of the Washington Post has led to a cutting of about a third of the newsroom, following years of editorial interventions, which sparked protests from the Post Guild, tightened subscriber losses, and sparked concerns that the paper’s independence and credibility are eroding as the U.S. news industry shrinks.
Under Jeff Bezos, The Washington Post laid off about 300 newsroom staff (roughly 30%), shuttering the Books department, suspending Post Reports, and cutting the sports and international desks as digital revenue and subscriptions weaken. The cuts follow a period of investment and policy shifts—such as moving away from endorsements—that critics say undermined editorial independence and spurred subscriber losses, though longtime Post journalists say reporting will continue, just with fewer resources.
Margaret Sullivan argues Jeff Bezos’s ownership is harming the Washington Post’s editorial independence and staff morale, with layoffs and a perceived shift to a right-leaning stance that has eroded reader trust and talent; she urges Bezos to reverse course to preserve the paper’s legacy and its role as a democratic watchdog.
Karoline Leavitt warned CBS News to air Donald Trump’s interview unedited or face legal action, a threat captured in audio after CBS’s Tony Dokoupil interview; CBS aired the full unedited segment later that day. The piece sits amid broader tensions over CBS’s editing practices and independence under Bari Weiss, including Paramount Skydance’s $16 million settlement with Trump over editing of a Harris interview for 60 Minutes.
The Defense Department signaled a reorientation of the independent Stars and Stripes to emphasize warfighter-focused reporting with more DoD-produced content and less ‘woke’ material, including plans for active-duty writers and reduced reliance on AP/Reuters. The move drew criticism from the paper’s publisher and ombudsman who warn it could undermine editorial independence, amid questions about the Defense Department’s authority and a recent report that job applicants were asked about supporting Trump policies, seen as a loyalty test.
The Pentagon says it will modernize Stars & Stripes and refocus its content away from 'woke distractions' and gossip columns, with content authored by active-duty service members; critics warn the move threatens the paper's editorial independence and risks turning a historic independent military newspaper into a government mouthpiece, prompting calls to protect press freedom.
The Pentagon announced it will take over editorial decisions for Stars and Stripes to refocus coverage on warfighters and military readiness, raising bipartisan concerns that the paper’s editorial independence and First Amendment protections could be compromised; editors and lawmakers emphasize the importance of independent journalism, noting the paper’s long history and governance, while the plan prompts broader debate about military influence over coverage.
The Defense Department announced it will overhaul the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, modernizing it to emphasize warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality and survivability, while reducing wire-service reporting and signaling continued editorial independence as a publication for service members.
Arash Abizadeh advocates for "diamond" open access in academic publishing, where universities and libraries directly fund journals, eliminating commercial pressures and making research freely accessible. This model addresses the high costs and restricted access of current publishing practices, but faces challenges due to the prestige associated with established commercial journals.
A dispute between the publisher Wiley and the editors of The Journal of Political Philosophy (JPP) led to the creation of a new journal called Political Philosophy, emphasizing editorial independence and academic freedom. The new journal, open access and published by the Open Library of Humanities, is led by the former JPP editors and aims to provide a platform for interdisciplinary engagement in political philosophy. The move comes after over 1100 philosophers and scholars signed a statement of non-cooperation with JPP's publisher, leading to the birth of Political Philosophy as a successor to JPP.
A third senior journalist at The Daily Telegraph, Camilla Tominey, has voiced opposition to the proposed takeover of the newspaper by a UAE-backed fund, stating that it "doesn't pass the sniff test" and warning against ownership by a "sexist regime." Former Telegraph editor Charles Moore and former Prime Minister Liz Truss have also expressed concerns about the deal, calling for the protection of the newspaper's editorial independence. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has ordered media regulator Ofcom to investigate if the takeover poses risks to accurate news presentation and free expression of opinion.
The British Journal of Psychiatry is facing criticism for refusing to retract a paper on abortion that has been used in US legal cases to restrict access to the procedure. Three international board members have resigned after the journal and its owner, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, ignored the advice of its own internal panel to retract the paper. The author of the paper, Priscilla K Coleman, has testified in favor of greater restrictions on abortion in multiple cases. Critics argue that the paper has methodological issues and its conclusions are invalid. The refusal to retract the paper raises questions about the journal's editorial independence and the impact of legal threats on scientific publishing.
Tech outlet CNET has updated its AI policy, promising that stories will not be written entirely using AI tools, and hands-on reviews and testing of products will be done by humans. CNET will also not publish images and videos generated using AI "as of now." The outlet will "explore leveraging" AI tools to sort and analyze data and to create outlines for stories, analyze existing text, and generate explanatory content. CNET has also updated previously published stories generated using AI systems that triggered backlash in January.
Twitter has removed labels describing media outlets as "government funded" or "state affiliated" after falsely implying they were propaganda machines. NPR and the BBC were among the editorially independent media outlets that faced backlash after being inaccurately classified as controlled by their governments. Twitter CEO Elon Musk changed NPR's label to "Government Funded Media" after an email exchange with a reporter, but NPR still left the platform. Now, Musk has decided to drop media labels altogether.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has criticized Twitter's labeling of it as "69% government-funded media," saying it has complete editorial independence. CBC received C$1.24 billion ($925.86 million) in government funding in the 2022 financial year, compared with revenue from advertising, subscriptions, and other sources of C$651.4 million according to its annual report. Twitter defines its "government-funded media" label as "where the government provides some or all of the outlet's funding and may have varying degrees of government involvement over editorial content." CBC has paused its Twitter activities over the labeling, a spat that has also drawn in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Conservative rival Pierre Poilievre.